A new collaboration by Alien Nature (Wolfgang Barkowski) and myself has recently been released on Neu Harmony; it is available via synthmusicdirect.com.

The album is based on various sessions that Wolfgang and me have recorded between March 2014 and December 2015; those recordings were enhanced, completed, (re-) mixed and mastered by Wolfgang later on.

"The Dark Path" has recently been reviewed by Siggy Zielinski for the German prog rock review page "Babyblaue Seiten" - and a favourable review it is; a rather amusing read as well, especially when Siggy draws comparisons between zebras and Berlin School albums...

His conclusion is:

"Anyone who likes to enter the dream-worlds of bubbling synths, atmospheric melodic lines, pulsating sequencer patterns, mellotron choruses, mysterious sound clouds and hypnotic-mechanical rhythms again and again - and always needs new releases - should consider to purchase "The Dark Path" too.
Because this disc is definitely well done!
The album is at least well suited for a short trip to the moons of Saturn and back, after all..."

A few days ago, the album was reviewed very favourably by Uwe Sasse for his EM review page "Sequenzerwelten".

Here's my (rough) translation:

"Alien Nature & Michael BrÃ¼ckner - The Dark Path

The "The Dark Path" was created during several sessions in the years 2013/14 and then "shelved" for some time, as Wolfgang Barkowski remarked on Facebook recently.
In other words, the -The Dark Path- apparently was not given too much attention, which probably accounts for the long time it took for the album to appear. It would have been a pity though if this music had never been released...

The style is a mix of ambient and Berlin School and is not entirely as gloomy as the title suggests. Wolfgang and Michael unleash the synths, sequencers and probably also the Mellotron here, the music has time to unfold and the result is remarkable.

The absolute hit on this CD is the nearly 28-minute track "Auf Silbernen Pfaden", which comes in retro style with Mellotron, incredibly good!

The time rushes by like in flight, and with almost 80 minutes the album is filled to the rim, offering really great entertainment - what more could you ask for...?

I'm pretty sure the -The Dark Path- will be received well in the EM scene, because here we have two absolute professionals at work, whose experience is obvious to hear. I would even issue a "harmlessness certificate" for this at any time

A new review of the album emerged, this time by Australian reviewer Michael Hodgson, for progarchives.com. He says:

"Frequent Syn-Gate label-mates Alien Nature (Wolfgang Barkowski) and Michael BrÃ¼ckner (...) team up here for a pure Seventies-modelled Berlin School instrumental stunner, `The Dark Path', which lies somewhere between vintage-era tribute and a deeply atmospheric exploration all its own."

(...)

"Many repeated plays prove `The Dark Path' to be extremely rewarding and holding a quality that will likely reveal it to retain a timeless quality, and this is pure Berlin School music done right with a couple of other musical diversions also thrown in as well from two intelligent modern progressive-electronic composers."

Wolfgang Barkowski aka Alien Nature has already made several collaborations with other electronic musicians in recent years. He has recorded the latest release together with Michael BrÃ¼ckner. It is called "The Dark Path". The work has been published in the spring of 2017 and contains five longtracks, four of which have a running time of more than twelve minutes.

Wolfgang and Michael have played various sessions in the years 2013 to 2015 and recorded the music during these processes. From these results Wolfgang Barkowski then extracted the essence and compiled the album "The Dark Path".
The album title sounds like dark ambient or something similar. But this is not the case. On the contrary, the two have stayed in the stylistic neighbourhood of the "Berlin School" and recorded traditional electronic music with their own handwriting.

The almost 17 minute "Mandala" opens the CD. At first, a pad paves its way through the room. Then some harmonies are placed on it. This is anything but gloomy; on the contrary, a pleasant, relaxed mood is at once imparted to me. Further motifs are added and a fascinating atmosphere is created, reminiscent of Klaus Schulze & Co. of the 1970s. The track continues to evolve slowly, until after some five minutes the first gentle rhythm patterns arise and the synthies are starrting to buzz and swirl. Until minute eight, the track flows quietly, then - partly due to the emerging rhythm - gloomy sound colors enter without stirring the track into dark areas. The two now build a peculiar but highly exciting atmosphere, which is underlined with harmonies. Towards the end, this piece grows more and more intense.

A bridge then leads seamlessly into the following "Endemonic Howls". A pounding gentle beat and percussion determine the rhythmic structure of this well-eight-minute piece. Into these rhythmic structures the two then again put harmonies and string sounds, which in this case create a surreal impression. Overall, this track is a more experimental track than the rest of the album.

A new bridge will then take you to the 27: 36 minute track "On Silver Paths". It starts with somewhat sombre and slightly menacing sounds, until after about five minutes a sequencer rhythm starts to dominate the track. From now on the music turns hypnotic and captivating. From moment to moment the piece is gaining momentum. Harmonious chords are floating in space, and the synthies chirp and flicker. This creates a tremendous fascination. From minute nine on it becomes melodic. In the further proceedings, the two still add synths, without changing the hypnotic beat. Until the swirling finale, this piece is growing more and more and you are drawn into a hypnotic whirlpool.

Then follows the twelve-minute "Bissful" with wonderfull harmonious sound cascades. After a few minutes a melody is introduced and we find ourselves again in the musical cosmos of Klaus Schulze & Co.

The 15-minute "Ionic Master", which also seamlessly follows the preceeding track, closes the album. With a pumping beat, which sounds like a heart beat, the track starts. Flute sounds also add some ethnic elements, while the beat sounds more like a drumcomputer, and quite dominates the last track.

It's much appreciated that the music from these sessions by Wolfgang Barkowski (Alien Nature) and Michael BrÃ¼ckner were not kept a secret, but made accessible to the public. The two of them have genuinely inspired each other during their sessions and created music, which is in the vein of the "Berlin school" but in the first place carries the handwriting of the two musicians. To achieve this, unusual sounds and sonic sculptures are linked with harmonies and melodies. This turned out to be a very nice album.

Merci beaucoup to Sylvain Lupari who recently - and very mercifully - reviewed "The Dark Path" by Alien Nature (Wolfgang Barkowski) and myself for his EM review page and seems to have enjoyed it a lot, concluding:

"With names such as Michael BrÃ¼ckner and Wolfgang Barkowski, the expectations can only be high. And the duet answers marvels with a strong album to which we savor from the very first breaths of "Mandala" until the finale of "Ionic Master". âThe Dark Pathâ is at the crossroads of creativity with a very solid EM opus where the ages melt themselves in a musical scenario which allies the essence of the big names of the art, Klaus Schulze to Jarre via Tangerine Dream and Steve Roach, in an approach where the past is of use as carburetor to a new form of World EM."